2020 CENSUS

Census FAQs

Every 10 years, the federal government is legally required to count every person living in the country, regardless of citizenship status, as part of the U.S. Census.

The census is used to determine funding for vital government programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, and more.

The government also uses census data to draw district lines and determine how many seats each state will get in the House of Representatives.

Why is the census important for the Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders?

Today, roughly one in five Asian Americans and one and three NHPIs live in hard-to-count areas. Some AANHPI communities are especially at risk of being missed, including those that have limited English skills and/or are low-income.

When AANHPI communities are undercounted, they may not be accurately represented in the process to determine their elected officials.

Undercounting also results in AANHPIs being denied a full voice in policy decision-making and federal funding allocated to states and localities where AANHPIs live.

What can you do to make sure you’re counted?

Fill out your census form! Tell friends and family about the census and explain why is it important to participate!

Check out our resources page to find out when form comes out, how to fill it out, what language support is offered, and more!

Work for the Census Bureau as an enumerator – the person who goes to peoples’ homes to count them if they do not respond to the census. Find out more here!

Are you curious about how many people in your community are responding to the 2020 Census? This spring, you’ll be able stay up to date with a map of self-response rates from across the United States. Click on this link to find out https://2020census.gov/en/response-rates.html